Beloved Surfside Beach restaurant along Ocean Boulevard burns down in early morning fire

A fire that broke out early Friday morning caused significant damage to a popular Surfside Beach restaurant.

Firefighters responded to a call at 5:00 a.m. to a fire on the porch of Neal and Pam’s Bar and Grill on Ocean Blvd. The call came in from a cleaning crew who were hired to pressure wash the building.

The fire caused significant fire, water and smoke damage to the interior of the restaurant, Surfside Beach town spokesperson Robert Blomquist said. exterior of the restaurant suffered damage as well. The entrance to the restaurant is now blocked off, and damage is visible on the right side of the building.

The restaurant was known and loved for its evening karaoke sessions and has been around for 37 years.

Neal and Pam’s owner Zach Baker told WMBF News that he hopes the restaurant can get back in business as soon as possible, due to a large amount of employees who depend on the tourist season.

No firefighters or civilians were injured in the fire. Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer said he was grateful no one got hurt.

“They have deep roots in our community. Thank you to all the first responders on the scene. We are grateful no one was hurt,” Hellyer said in a statement.

The Surfside Beach fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 4:11 PM.